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Perfume review: Oyedo by Diptyque

Diptyque named Oyédo for the ancient capital of Japan, Yedo (the modern spelling is Edo), now known as Tokyo. It was released in 2000 and has notes of yuzu, grapefruit, lime, orange, mint, thyme, and woods.

It starts with strong, fizzy citrus, and smells very much like the concoction they used to serve at children’s parties that was made by pouring 7-Up over orange sherbet. It teeters dangerously on the edge of being too sticky-sweet, and is saved only by the addition of the mint and thyme, which give it a nice green-herbal kick, and by the prominent woody undertones.

Oyédo was included in one of the first sample orders I made after becoming seriously interested in fragrance, and I did not like it one bit. It has since wheedled its way into my affections. It is perfect in the winter when you can't bear another day of cold weather and you need something to cheer you up, and it is perfect on those early days of summer when you break out the sandals and shorts for the first time. On a day like yesterday, when we were having a "Severe Weather Alert" because it was simply too hot and humid to go outside, it was just too sweet to work. A basic little Eau de Cologne like Borsari Acqua Classica would have suited much better. My mistake.

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25 Comments

Lovely review, which describes my relationship with Oyedo perfectly. I also find that it smells like Concord grapes a little, especially when thyme starts to kick in. My favourite way to wear it is by layering with Philosykos. Philosykos seems to cut down sweetness, while enhancing the tart yuzu aspects I like about Oyedo.

Hi R! I am not a fan of Oyedo hence it never made it to my collection. However, I like V's layering idea – love and enjoy Philosykos – more as a room spray (please don't shoot me). You see what an ardent fan I am of the house of Diptuque.. ;D

Hi R – As you know I do not appreciate the Diptyque fragrances except for Tam Dao and Philosykos (although I do appreciate their packaging and enjoy some of their soaps). I have tried Oyedo and thought – not for me. As for hot days and fragrance selection – a hot day really can put you off a fragrance – which is why I haven't truly formed a strong opinion about my new SL. I long for light, airy and non-cloying scents right now. I truly admire your dedication to testing and reviewing scents in this heat – brava my friend.

They have that foaming agent, sodium laureth sulfate, which is in a lot of shampoos and bath gels and is considered to be the MSG of the bathroom. I'm not sensitive to it, so it doesn't bother me. Oyedo is the only shower gel of theirs I've tried, and I would like to buy a box of their soap one of these days. Philosykos is yummy!

I agree this is a nice grapefruit scent but too sweet for hot weather. Had the same problem with Eau d'Elide yesterday – too much orange creamsicle going on for the weather. Would be better in the fall I think. I like Jardin Clos or L'Ombre dans L'Eau for really hot days.

Hi R, I ´m still debating whether to buy Oyedo or not. I discovered it just about 2 months ago & I don´t think it´s too sweet. Yes, it is sweet to a certain extent, but the thyme really safes it from getting too overwhelming. To me it´s perfect for wearing in warmer weather – so maybe not when it´s really hot, like you already mentioned in your review. I think it´s a good choice if you want something fruity with a kick. A lot of fruity scents do lack complexity, but that´s not the case with Oyedo. Moreover, the bottles are really lovely. Well, perhaps I should buy it

PBI, I prefer soaps to shower gels, because I find that gels dry out my skin. I actually received a gift of Oyedo shower gel, and while the scent is nice, it does not last at all. At that rate, I would rather buy Alba Botanica shower gels, which are moisturizing and come in a variety of nice scents (including tuberose, which smells exactly like La Chasse). Plus, they are reasonably priced.

I like tart but Oyedo was way too sour on me. But then, I should retest in in the heat of summer when it might smell at its sweetest. I never understood why Edo was called Yedo in English because there's no “ye” in Japanese. No matter–I think it's lovely how Diptyque honored Old Tokyo with this perfume, even if scentwise it doesn't evoke Tokyo to me per se. Yuzu is used in winter baths in Japan. I recently found out that most Japanese people think of that when they smell yuzu (I don't have the association b/c I grew up in NY).

SLS doesn't bother me either, although like V below, I would probably prefer to buy something cheaper. I did have one bar of the Philosykos soap and it was lovely, although the scent doesn't last on my skin.

Oh, I'm sorry–literally baths taken in the winter. A bunch of yuzu fruits are put inside the tub with hot bathwater. Yuzu is known as a stimulant so during winter solstice (esp. Dec. 21), they bathe in yuzu baths (yuzuburo) to feel invigorated, which helps stay warm, and some say to keep up the immune system and fight ailments. Ofuro (bath) is a serious thing in Japan. ;-D